The Next Chapter
by GClements
Summary: As requested, here is another sequel following the lives of Max, Zoe, Sophia and Little Sophia on their journey as a family together. This starts a little darker than my usual stuff but I hope you enjoy it all the same. As always reviews are most welcome as are any suggestions/ideas you may have for future chapters. Enjoy! G xxx :D
1. Chapter 1

**The Next Chapter – Chapter 1**

 **As requested (and long overdue) here is another story based on Zoe, Max, Sophia and little Sophia as they continue as a family. It is set around a year and a half after little Sophia's birth and so we will see how birthday parties happen in the Walker/Jordan household! This first two chapters are slightly darker than my usual stuff but I've tried to base parts of it around Saturday's coming episode. As always, reviews are most welcome as are any suggestions you may have. Enjoy! G xxx :D**

It's the early afternoon and Holby City's Emergency Department is as busy as ever. Max walks through the doors with his typical cheeky smile plastered across his face as the little girl dressed in white tights, a sparkly T-shirt and pink fluffy skirt with little ankle boots to match, is sound asleep on his shoulder. Her almost shoulder length dark hair has been pulled up into two pigtails on the top of her head – uneven of course as Max hasn't quite got to grips with the difficulties of tying up a soon to be toddler's hair.

As he turns the corner to head into cubicles he is met with a sight of absolute panic. There are at least a dozen police officers stood in the middle of the corridor with each key member of staff surrounded and being interrogated by them. Max spots Sophia out of the crowd and heads over to her gently covering Little Sophia's ears so the noise doesn't wake her.

"What's going on?" he whispers in her ear.

Startled and clearly on edge, Sophia turns around with her fingertips just covering her lips. She checks her watch and suddenly realises that he is here to drop Little Sophia off with Zoe as her shift should have ended. This was the arrangement that they had all agreed on soon after she was born; one of them would take care of Little Sophia until another finished their shift and so on.

"Where's Zoe?" Max asks desperately.

"Come with me," instructs Sophia as she leads him into Connie's office and closes the door behind them, "lay Sophia down on there." She points to the sofa that Connie still has in her office.

Max places the little girl ever so delicately at the very back of the sofa and pauses to see if she stirs before turning towards Sophia, "Well?"

"Max." She starts, "Zoe…uhm…Zoe's missing."

"What?!" Max's slightly raised voice causes Little Sophia to jump slightly and they both stop with Sophia holding her hands up as a sign for him to be quiet. "What do you mean missing?" he whispers.

"Okay, just calm down Max. Please."

"Calm down? You've just told me my wife is missing and you want me to calm down?"

"Okay, look. We had a patient in here earlier – a prisoner. Somehow he managed to slip by his guard and…well…he kind of went AWOL on us. Zoe was the last person to be seen with him and they haven't been able to get a hold of her since. They don't know where she is."

"How can they not know where she is? I mean didn't anybody see which direction they took off in?"

Max heads towards the door and snatches hold of the handle. Sophia grabs his arm and pulls him back as Connie glares through the door.

"Max. Stop." Pleads Sophia.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?"

"Max. Didn't you hear what I said? _They_ don't know anything. _They_ haven't been able to get a hold of her." She smiles somewhat encouragingly at Max.

"But you do. You have."

Sophia nods.

"Well what are you doing just standing here? Tell them where she is so they can go and get her!"

Sophia shakes her head violently and pushes Max back yet again. "Max! Connie and I have a plan – we just needed a good enough reason for me to leave their sight. You and Sophie are the perfect reason. The police can't get involved just yet, Max."

"Wha- How?" Max holds his head in both hands confused and anxious about the whole situation.

"If the police go barging in there he will almost definitely hurt her. If I go, I can try and persuade him, convince him that I can help him escape and then, when I do, the police will be ready to grab him and we'll be safe."

"But how? How will the police know? What if he hurts you? How are you going to get there?" Max desperately asks as his concern grows not only for his wife but for Sophia too.

"Here," starts Sophia pulling a pager out of Connie's drawer and handing it to him, "I have mine. I'll get the message to you and then you can tell the police when to come and where we are. Just keep this on you. Please."

"I can't let you do this Soph."

"Max, you have to. Now, follow my lead and trust me."

Max nods and reluctantly follows Sophia out of the door and towards the police. As Sophia approaches them, she begins to explain that her little sister is soon to wake up from her nap and will need some food. Max helps her convince the policeman by handing over a ten pound note and instructing her to go to a specific shop nearby. The policeman nods his head and turns back to question Rita.

Just as Sophia reaches the swing doors she turns back to look at Max and Connie who are staring at her with deep concern. Connie winks at her with a slight smile and Sophia nods in response. She then mouths the words: TRUST ME back to Max with a nod and a smile before walking out of the area.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – I apologise for the length of this chapter but I had to try and get it all out. Is there a possible love interest for Sophia? Reviews welcome. G xx**

As she waits for the lift to arrive, Sophia nervously taps her pager against the side of her hand and takes one last look around the ED reception; her gaze met by a young patient she had treated hours earlier who is adjusting himself to a pair of crutches as the doors open. After entering the lift and pressing the button that takes her down to the basement, Sophia notices that the guy is smiling in her direction and she returns the gesture just as the doors come to a close.

With a sudden jolt Sophia reaches the basement level of the hospital and the lift doors open to reveal a darker side to the ED – a side she had never seen before. The dimly lit corridor sends an instant shiver down her spine.

"Come on, Soph," she whispers to herself, "you can do this!" She brushes down the spare set of scrubs she had changed into and takes a deep breath; the sound of the doors closing behind her signals her loneliness. Unaware of what surrounds her, Sophia keeps close to the wall as a kind of comfort and takes each step with great care.

After what seems like forever, Sophia arrives at the double doors at the end of the corridor to find them already slightly open. Through the crack she can see the patient cowered in the corner with his head in his hands. Her eye scopes the rest of the room desperate to find Zoe. There she is. Laying on the floor. Blood on her outstretched hand. A sudden wave of fear washes over Sophia but she soon shakes it off and begins opening the door.

She slips through the slightly opened door and closes it softly behind her.

"Who's there?"

Sophia turns around slowly to find the patient stood up and facing her with a needle and full syringe in his hand.

"I…uhm…I just came for a new set of scrubs." Sophia's voice cracks as she raises her hands to plead her innocence.

The patient crumbles back into his corner dropping the needle as he does so. "Oh God, what have I done?" he cries.

Sophia kicks the needle away from his reach as she rushes over to Zoe and kneels down beside her placing her two fingers on her neck. The patient looks up in distress as he watches Sophia attempt to treat Zoe.

"Okay." Sophia starts completely shaken, "She's still got a decent pulse. Zoe? Zoe can you hear me. It's Sophia." She continues to check over her and pushes some of the hair from Zoe's face and tucks it behind her ear.

"Is she?"

"No." replies Sophia, "Just knocked out. Who are you?"

"John."

"Okay John, I'm Sophia. What happened?"

"Those doctors," comes his reply with his voice growing sterner with each word, "wanted them to take me back. But I can't go back. I won't!"

Sophia walks over to him again with her hands in front of her and, while still in shock, remains calm and says, "Alright, take it easy. No one's going to make you go anywhere. Just calm down for me okay?"

He nods in response.

"Now," she starts, "what happened to Dr Hanna? Why have you brought her down here?"

"She told me she could get me out of there. To a safer place. Somewhere where I could be treated. But they still came for me. I had to get away. So I told her…I didn't mean to hurt her. She tried to get out of here and I wouldn't let her. I didn't mean to scare her. She'd get them. She got out of my hands but she fell. I think she hit her head. I thought I killed her." He begins to cry once more and pushes his hands onto the side of his temples even harder.

"Okay, okay. Look I understand but right now you need to come with me. I can take you both upstairs and get you both the help you need. Come on."

She holds out her hand and helps him to his feet however John grabs the needle from the floor and hides it behind his back.

Behind them Zoe has started to come around yet neither of them are aware.

Max, who had followed Sophia down to the basement with the police officers from upstairs, looks on through the door and sees the need behind John's back. He bursts open the doors and the police officers rush through.

Sophia is grabbed by John and turned to face Max and the police. He holds her with one arm around her waist trapping her arms by her side and hold the needle towards her neck with the other.

"Max!" screams Sophia.

The police officers have all lined up in front of them with their handguns aimed and ready.

Sophia turns her head slightly towards John and begs him to let her go, "Please," she starts, "I never asked him to follow me. Please don't."

His grip only tightens and she lets out a silent cry of desperation.

"Put your guns down and I won't hurt her. I don't want to hurt her. Don't make me."

"Please!" Sophia's pleading turns to the police officers, "This man needs psychological help not a prison. Please."

Behind them Zoe has made it to her feet. She dizzily places a hand over the cut on her face before coming to sense with what has happened. Through her slowly adjusting eyes she can see the figures of Max and the police and then, as her eyes follow theirs, she sees Sophia trapped by John.

"PUT THEM DOWN!" demands John.

As he moves the needle closer and closer to Sophia's neck, Zoe dives towards him and knocks him off balance and into the grips of the police. Sophia lets out a scream as she is thrown to the ground and lands on a small, broken piece of piping.

Both Max and Zoe rush over to her and help her back to her feet. Sophia grasps her left arm tightly with her other hand as she watches the police drag John back up towards the lift.

Back in the ED the staff wait in reception anxiously as the lift doors open. Max helps Zoe out of the lift and onto a trolley while Sophia walks out still holding her arm and looks towards the entrance.

"They have taken him to Hancock," explains Connie, "you were right. He shouldn't be in a prison."

Sophia smiles and nods at Connie as she watches Zoe being wheeled to cubicles and begins to follow her. Charlie stops her in her tracks and places his hands on her shoulders.

"Charlie I'm fine." Sophia smiles.

"Well, I beg to differ. Come on, let's take a look at you." Charlie gives Sophia an encouraging push towards cubicles herself and she has no choice but to follow.

Sitting on her bed as Charlie disappears for a suture kit, Sophia sees the same guy that smiled at her earlier. He makes his way over to her still a little unsteady on his crutches.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, just a little scratch." Replies Sophia with a smile as Charlie returns and closes the curtain.

"Nice lad." Winks Charlie, "You know he's been asking about you?"

"Really?" blushes Sophia.

After a while Sophia's arm has been fully stitched up, bandaged and she has even had time to change back into her coral coloured sleeveless vest, black pencil skirt and heels before checking in on Zoe.

"How're you feeling?" Sophia asks running through Zoe's notes that are hanging from the edge of her bed.

"Alright I guess. You?"

"Ah, just a few stitches and a tetanus shot," Sophia giggles.

"Thank you." States Zoe, "That must have been terrifying for you but thank you."

"Well, that's what we do isn't it? Look out for each other?"

Zoe nods and rolls her eyes, "Yeah, that's what we do."

"Let's just try not to let that happen again?" laughs Sophia, "Where's Max?"

"Oh he and Robyn have taken Sophia out to the park. Just while I recover a little more." Zoe replies with a smile.

"I see. Well I'm just about to go for my break but I'll come back and check on you later."

Sophia places Zoe's notes back on the hook, closes her curtain and makes her way outside for some fresh air.

Taking a seat on the bench outside of the hospital, Sophia covers her face with her hands and sighs as the guy with the broken leg sits beside her.

"Hi." He starts off the conversation making Sophia jump.

She smiles at him, looks down at his cast and says, "You know you should really be keeping that elevated Adam."

"I know but I couldn't leave before checking you were okay."

"I am thank you." Nods Sophia without allowing her smile to fade.

"Good. Ah there's my taxi," he stands up with the help of Sophia and steadies himself on his crutches. After a couple of steps he turns around and calls after Sophia, "Hey!"

She turns back around to face him.

"I know I'm not a doctor but I read somewhere that sugar helps shock so here." He pulls out a Curly Wurly from his pocket and tosses it in Sophia's direction. She catches it and holds it closely to her chest.

"Thank you!" she calls back.

They both smile at each other one last time before Adam pulls off in his taxi and Sophia waves him goodbye. She looks down at the chocolate, laughs slightly and heads back to the ED shaking her head and keeping that same smile plastered on her face.


End file.
